The classic Will Clark follow through
Here Comes a Great Story (maybe)
“Will Clark Returns to San Francisco”
By James Rodrigues
Jimmyrod.com
Dateline: Early October 2000
If and when Will Clark plays against the Giants for the St. Louis Cardinals in San Francisco, every Giants fan in the ballpark will battle a big time case of mixed emotions.
On a fan-by-fan basis, Will Clark is more adored by Giant fans than anyone I can recall. The fact that he will be wearing a Cardinal uniform is “the rub.” Giant fans will be torn between their love of Clark and their 40-year pursuit of a championship.
To really understand the depth of this conundrum, “you had to be there!”
When “Will the Thrill” came on the scene in the mid-eighties, the Giants were literally dying. No talent, to speak of, on or off the field and therefore no fannies in the seats.
At that time, Clark was the Mississippi State first baseman with the sweet swing. He was the Cajun with the out-of-alignment jaw. The Giants were so bad the previous year they were allowed to pick first in the amateur baseball draft. In reality they decided on the incredible Clark long before they sat down at that drafting table.
Since Clark was the best player the Giants had signed in years, there didn’t seem to be much point leaving him in the minor leagues for long.
When Clark first officially appeared in a Giant’s uniform, he hit a centerfield home run off Nolan Ryan. He did it in his very first major league at bat! Candlestick Park was suddenly (on some days) filled with fans. The Giants weren’t moving after all! S.F. fans loved Clark’s crooked jaw and his poetic swing.
On one cold and windy night during a Giants-Dodgers game, Clark made what I suspect of being the greatest defensive play of all time. (But that’s a different roll of videotape).
Clark wasn’t just an outstanding baseball player, he was very friendly to the nice fans. The rude fan got a terse, “Is there something I can do for you?”
As a security officer at the Downtown L.A. Hilton and Towers Hotel, back when there was a Downtown L.A. Hilton and Towers Hotel, I watched as Clark “held court” in the graceful lobby bar. Fans would approach him and very politely ask him for an autograph. At the time, I knew it couldn’t really be happening, but I could have sworn I saw a thrilled Clark autograph holder “float” past me, while I was on “routine lobby patrol.”
In a matter of a few years, Will Clark lifted the Giants from “dead” to a N.L. west title in 1987 and an N.L. pennant in 1989. His performance in the 1989 N.L. playoffs was one of the greatest statistical performances of all time. His line drive N.L. championship winning single against the Chicago Cubs has to be considered one of the most dramatic moments in San Francisco Giant history. Its national impact resulted in a front-page photo in the New York Times the next day.
As Clark moved from the on deck circle toward home plate before that auspiscious at bat, teammate Kevin Mitchell said “Do it, Will!” Clark answered, “It’s already done!” Sure enough, he got a high fastball from Chicago’s bullet throwing, Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams and ripped it up the middle to win the N.L. pennant for the Giants.
So now we run into “the irresistible force tangling with the immovable object.” Love collides with loyalty. It’s an irony-flavored milk shake with cherries on top. The question quickly becomes, “how will Giant fans greet their favorite player of the preceding thirty years? If it happens, I believe, when announced, Clark will receive a standing ovation that will, for a matter of minutes, “shake the stadium and shut down the program.”
Then, as he heads for the plate, the “needles” will come out. “Hey, Will! Do you still run like a bag full of chickens? No more power in your bat, huh? I wonder why that happened! I guess no Hall of Fame for you, huh?” (And a little something to take hunter Will's attention from the fine art of hitting), “You ever wound an animal so badly, it begged you to kill it? Do you remember the look in its eyes? Huh, Will?!!”
Giant fans wish they could extend their apologies in advance to number 22 in the odd looking cardinal and white. They won’t really mean the cruel things they say and do to their hero. They just can’t politely allow Will Clark to beat the San Francisco Giants: the team Will Clark saved!
Editors Note: At the time the above story was written, it appeared a hot Will Clark and the Cardinals would face the equally hot S.F. Giants in the National League Championship Series. As things turned out…it never happened and Will Clark retired.